Premier League Darts: MVG finishes top as Phil Taylor reaches play-offs

Peter Wright's 7-1 drubbing of Raymond van Barneveld had earlier lifted Snakebite to the summit by one point while the margin of the scoreline meant his leg difference became superior than van Gerwen's.

Therefore a draw wouldn't have been good enough for the world number one to take the league leader's bonus of £25,000 for the fifth successive year so the pressure was on against the Flying Scotsman in front of a raucous crowd at the  GE Oil & Gas Arena. 

But the Dutchman, who averaged 103.56 and hit four 180s, rose to the occasion, nailing a stunning 124 checkout on the bullseye to open up a 3-1 lead and from there he kept his opponent at arm's length.

Anderson had his moments and thrilled the crowd when checking out from 145 to reduce the decifit to 6-4 but MVG responded by taking the next leg to take top spot back from Wright.

The result also means Anderson finishes fourth so the two will meet again in the play-off semi-finals at London's O2 next Thursday night, where a £250,000 prize is on offer for the eventual champion.

The other semi-final will see Wright take on Taylor, who will be contesting the play-offs for the 12th time in 13 attempts.

The former six-time Premier League champion is bidding to mark his last year of competitive darts before retirement with another major title and heads to the capital in confident mood after coming back from 5-3 down to beat Adrian Lewis 7-5.

There was no pressure on Taylor after fifth-placed Dave Chisnall, who needed a big victory to stand any chance of leapfrogging the Power, had only managed a draw with James Wade in the night's opener.

Nevertheless this clash exploded into life in the third leg when Lewis had a dart for a second nine-dart finish of the season following two 180s, a treble 20 and a treble 19 but he missed his effort at double 12.

Jackpot returned to complete an impressive 10-dart leg to go 2-1 up while superb checkoutfrom 122 and 114 moved him into a 5-3 lead. 

Taylor rallied to take the next four legs on the spin and claim a victory which lifts him above Gary Anderson into third and consign Lewis to the bottom spot.

Wright, who thrashed MVG 6-0 at the weekend to claim the European Darts  Grand Prix, continued his superb form this season with a crushing triumph over Barney.

Although the Scotsman could only average 97.27, it was his ruthless finishing compared with quite the opposite from Barney which proved the key to success while a high checkout of 116 brought the fans to their feet.

Earlier, Chisnall came from 6-2 down to draw with Wade.

Chizzy headed into the final night of the regular season two points behind Taylor but he also had a mamouth leg difference deficit of 10 to overturn.

Therefore needing a 7-3 win or better just to give Taylor something to think about, Chisnall was out of the running as soon as Wade moved into a 4-2 lead.

The much-improved Machine took the next two legs to guarantee himself a point before Chisnall, who fired seven 180s, embarked on a stirring comeback which included a superb 129 checkout in the 10th.

Below is a full statistical breakdown of each match as well as player reaction while we also rank their performances at the bottom of this article as well as provide the updated Premier League table.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SEASON, FIXTURES, STATS & STANDINGS 

Dave Chisnall 6-6 James Wade

Dave Chisnall's hopes of reaching the Premier League play-offs are over after a 6-6 draw with James Wade on the final night of the regular season.

Two points behind fourth-placed Phil Taylor and with a legs difference deficit of 10 to overturn, Chizzy needed a big victory to stand even the faintest of chances but it was mathematically all over when Wade won a fourth leg to go 4-2 up.

Although a 7-4 triumph coupled with a 7-0 defeat for Taylor would have levelled the pair on leg difference, the third deciding factor is legs won against the throw throughout the season and the Power already had an unassailable lead on that criteria (32 vs 25).

This seemingly kicked the stuffing out of Chisnall as the much-improved Wade took the next two legs to stand on the brink of victory but the Machine was denied by a superb comeback.

Chizzy, who nailed seven 180s to take his season's tally to 65, rattled off four legs in succession, including a superb checkout from 129 in the 10th to earn a point.

Chisnall said: "I couldn't hit a double in the early stages and didn’t really play in the first six or seven legs. At 6-2 down, I had nothing to lose and I managed to fight back and get the draw.

"The season has been good in the end. I've been playing well for eight weeks and wish I'd started like that, but it gives me great encouragement for the remainder of the season." 

Three-dart averages
Chisnall: 98.68
Wade: 96.29 

SCORING
100+ thrown
Chisnall: 12
Wade: 18

140+ thrown
Chisnall: 7
Wade: 8

180 thrown
Chisnall: 7
Wade: 4

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Chisnall: 129
Wade: N/A (Highest: 82)

Checkout percentage
Chisnall:  31.58% (6/19)
Wade:  35.29% (6/17)

Phil Taylor 7-5 Adrian Lewis

Phil Taylor fought back from 5-3 down to defeat Adrian Lewis in the final Premier League Darts regular season match of his career.

The Power, already assured of a play-off spot after Dave Chisnall could only draw with James Wade earlier in the night, had little on the line other than the chance of potentially go above Gary Anderson in the table.

And that wasn't looking good when Lewis stormed into a 5-3 lead thanks to checkouts from 122 and 114 while he so nearly managed his second nine-dart finish of the season in the third leg, only to miss his shot at double 12.

But Taylor, who averaged just shy of 100, fought back with some cool finishes to take the next four legs on the bounce and secure a morale-boosting win ahead of his 12th trip to Finals Night in his 13 Premier League seasons. 

Anderson's defeat to MVG later in the night meant the former six-time champion finished third and he'll therefore meet Peter Wright in the play-off semi-finals.

He said: "It's massive for me. To get to The O2 is a bonus for me and it's brilliant. I'm going to be trying to win it and I've done it six times before.

"I'll have a massive smile on my face because I've been dedicated for 30 years and it's time for me to move on, but I'm in it to win it next week. If I can go out there and win my seventh Premier League title it will be brilliant." 

Three-dart averages
Taylor: 99.09
Lewis: 97.5

SCORING
100+ thrown
Taylor: 18
Lewis: 14

140+ thrown
Taylor: 10
Lewis: 7

180 thrown
Taylor: 1
Lewis: 2

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Taylor: 110
Lewis: 122, 114

Checkout percentage
Taylor: 43.75% (7/16)
Lewis: 35.71% (5/14)

Peter Wright 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld

Peter Wright maintained his superb run of form with a 7-1 trouncing of Raymond van Barneveld - but it wasn't enough to snatch the league leader's bonus of £25,000 from Michael van Gerwen.

Snakebite's triumph not only lifted him to top spot by a single point but the margin of victory meant his leg difference became superior than the world number one's.

A draw between MVG and Anderson would therefore have kept Wright at the summit but the Dutchman ran out a 7-4 winner.

Nevertheless Wright's performance, which comes hot on the heels of his 6-0 whitewash of van Gerwen in the final of Sunday's European Darts Grand Prix, will fill him with confidence ahead of next week's Finals Night at the O2.

He said: "I've qualified for the top four for the first time and I'm happy with that. I'm pinching myself thinking that I'm in that top four, it's crazy but I'm happy. My form's coming and I've got another week to get it right for The O2.

"It's always hard to beat Barney. He's a tough customer and isn't a five-time World Champion for nothing, but to have that amazing support behind you in Aberdeen makes you want to play.

"The fans were fantastic, it makes you tingle when you're on stage." 

Three-dart averages
Wright: 97.27
Van Barneveld: 94.74

SCORING
100+ thrown
Wright: 9
Van Barneveld: 9

140+ thrown
Wright: 8
Van Barneveld: 4

180 thrown
Wright: 3
Van Barneveld: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Wright: 116
Van Barneveld: N/A (Highest: 60)

Checkout percentage
Wright: 46.67 % (7/15)
Van Barneveld: 14.29% (1/7)

Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Gary Anderson

Michael van Gerwen topped the Premier League Darts table for the fifth successive season following a 7-4 victory over Gary Anderson, who he'll now meet in the play-off semi-finals at the O2 next Thursday night.

The Dutchman needed a win over the Flying Scotsman to bag the £25,000 league leader's bonus after Wright leapfrogged him earlier in the night but he produced a commanding display to get the job done.

MVG took control of the contest in the fourth leg when he took out 124 to go 3-1 up although he had to repell an Anderson comeback which included a 145 checkout.

Van Gerwen said: "It was really tough this year. Peter was in my shadow all the way through and fair play to him but I came here for two points and I got them, so I'm really glad.

"I think my scoring was good but I still missed too many chances in my opinion - but I did the job I needed to tonight. It was really important for me and I'm happy with this win so I can look forward to next week at The O2. It's the top four darts players in the world and I can't wait." 

Three-dart averages
Van Gerwen: 103.56
Anderson: 100.46

SCORING
100+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 13
Anderson: 10

140+ thrown
Van Gerwen: 9
Anderson: 7

180 thrown
Van Gerwen: 4
Anderson: 3

CHECKOUTS
100+ checkouts
Van Gerwen: 124
Anderson: 145

Checkout percentage
Van Gerwen: 30.43% (7/23)
Anderson: 57.14% (4/7)

Premier League Darts 2017 Table

MVG (Q) P 16 W 10 D 4 L 2 LegD +32 Pts 24
Wright (Q) P 16 W 10 D 3 L 3 LegD +30 Pts 23
Taylor (Q) P 16 W 8 D 3 L 5 LegD +7 Pts 19
Anderson (Q) P 16 W 7 D 4 L 5 LegD +12 Pts 18
Chisnall P 16 W 6 D 4 L 6 LegD -5 Pts 16
RVB P 16 W 6 D 2 L 8 LegD -10 Pts 14
Wade P 16 W 5 D 3 L 8 LegD -13 Pts 13
Lewis P 16 W 6 D 1 L 9 LegD -14 Pts 13
Klaasen P 9 W 1 D 1 L 7 LegD -16 Pts 3
Huybrechts P 9 W 0 D 3 L 6 LegD -23 Pts 3

* Klaasen & Huybrechts relegated after week nine  

Premier League Darts Week 15: Statistics

Three-dart averages
Phil Taylor:  99.09
Dave Chisnall: 98.68
Adrian Lewis: 97.5
Peter Wright:  97.27
James Wade: 96.29
Raymond van Barneveld:  94.74
Michael van Gerwen: 103.56
Gary Anderson: 100.46 

180s Thrown
Dave Chisnall: 7
James Wade: 4
Michael van Gerwen: 4
Gary Anderson: 3
Raymond van Barneveld: 3
Peter Wright: 3
Adrian Lewis: 2
Phil Taylor: 1

Checkouts over 100
Gary Anderson: 145
Dave Chisnall: 129
Michael van Gerwen: 124
Adrian Lewis: 122
Peter Wright: 116
Adrian Lewis: 114
Phil Taylor: 110

Checkout percentages
Gary Anderson: 57.14 (4/7)
Peter Wright: 46.67 % (7/15)
Phil Taylor:  43.75% (7/16)
Adrian Lewis: 35.71% (5/14)
James Wade: 35.29% (6/17)
Dave Chisnall: 31.58% (6/19)
Michael van Gerwen:  30.43 % (7/23)
Raymond van Barneveld: 14.29% (1/7)

Next week's fixtures

Finals Night, Thursday May 18
The O2, London
TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1 (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Peter Wright v Phil Taylor
Final (best of 21 legs)
MVG/Anderson v Wright/Taylor
Tickets: 0844 856 0202 or via www.axs.com 

Click here for full season fixtures, results, standings & statistics